London-based Klesch & Co, which specializes in dealing in defaulted corporate debt, said on Friday it may have looked at Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA, but declined to confirm it was considering a bid – It would be not surprising if we had looked at various parts of Olivetti, but I’m not confirming that we have looked at various parts, Jeff Summers, head of research at Klesch & Co, told Reuters. The firm is run by US corporate debt trader Gary Klesch, and has been tipped by Il Sole-24 Hora as a bidder for the troubled personal computer unit. Meantime, sources within Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA say that an alliance with Hewlett-Packard Co on personal computers is not on the agenda, although some other US personal computer company might be interested in a foothold in Europe. It would be much too expensive for Olivetti to close – an average manager would be entitled to two years’ salary.
